All of the Meanings Behind Miley Cyrus’ Tattoos

Miley Cyrus has been through a ton of transformations. As the daughter of a country music star, a Disney Channel legend in her own right, and then a mega pop star, it seems that the 25-year-old has finally found her footing. Learning and growing in the spotlight is not easy for anyone, and Cyrus has had her ups and downs. However, she’s grown as a person; the LOL actress has used tattoo art to mark special moments, people, and lessons learned.

The Voice couch just got a whole new set of tattoos, and with over 30 mostly tiny tats spread across her body, we can officially call her a tattoo aficionado. Here are all the various meanings behind some of Cyrus’ most interesting ink.

Vegan for life

We all know that Cyrus is a huge animal lover. After all, she grew up on a ranch full of them and now owns dogs, cats, and even some pigs. It seems natural that she would transition into a plant-based lifestyle, which she did back in 2014. Recently, Cyrus got a tattoo under her arm of a sunflower forming a “V” which represents the vegan movement.

The “Malibu” singer also has several tattoos of animals on her body, including a dog, cats, and a fish.

An SNL story

Earlier this year, Cyrus was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live when Larry David was the host. Not only did Cyrus perform music from her latest album Younger Now, but she also appeared in a few sketches including one called, “The Baby Step.”

To commemorate the event, Cyrus got a tattoo near her ankle that reads, “We babies.” It’s right next to her weed leaf, smiley face, and “Mom” tattoo.

Emu

If you recall, we mentioned that the Cyrus has a tattoo of a dog on her arm. More specifically, she has a detailed photo of her beloved dog, Emu Coyne Cyrus, who just happens to be a Shetland Sheepdog. We can see why he’s her fave.

The first tattoo

Though most of the 25-year-old’s tats are teeny tiny, her first tattoo, which is right above her rib cage, is relatively large. It reads “Just breathe.” The pop-singer got the tat back in 2009 when she was only 17 years old. At the time, Cyrus told Harper’s Bazaar that the tats were to commemorate her dear friend Vanessa who died of the lung disease cystic fibrosis and both of her friend’s fathers, who died of lung cancer.

She said, “It reminds me not to take things for granted. I mean breathing — that was something none of them could do, the most basic thing. And I put it near my heart, because that is where they will always be.”

He was a baby when he started in the industry. And it’s hard, you gotta be strong. It’s so crazy with the media and all that. Nobody ever wrote an article just to say, “Hey, Michael, we really appreciate what you do.” I wish I would have had the opportunity. I wish I would have known. I wish I would have had some kind of determination to be like “How can I get in touch with Michael Jackson and let him know how much he means to me?” Because not enough people told him, and I think it’s sad that he had to wait until it’s too late to tell people what he did. But I think he knows.

A quote from a former president

One of the largest tattoos on Cyrus’ body is a quote from President Theodore Roosevelt from a speech he gave in Paris in 1910. The line reads, “So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

The speech deals with those who try things even though they might fail, versus others who stand on the sidelines and simply criticize. The singer/actress is no stranger to controversy, so we’d say that speech is a pretty good reminder just to live her life.

Her fiance, Liam Hemsworth, also has another portion of the speech on his arm.